Now, it is seen in small numbers at several places in most years. Today's photo is from Mount Clear, where this bird came into an urban backyard backing on to the Woowookarung Regional Park.

It first alighted in a tree, then circled above before making a half-hearted attempt to catch a common bronzewing.

At the time it was thought to be a little eagle, but the photos revealed the long wings, pale face and small unfeathered legs of a square-tailed kite.

The long wings are evident in flight, along with prominent dark "fingers" at the tips. There is also a pale mark under the wings.

The wings are held slightly raised when soaring, making another useful identification feature.

The Ballarat East-Mount Clear area has had annual summer visits by at least one pair of square-tailed kites for several years.

The bird is also known from Invermay, near Creswick, near Clunes and a few other places.

Their usual prey is birds smaller than bronzewings. Young birds in nests are commonly taken, with the kites flying at treetop level in their search to find them.

Sometimes they soar much higher, but many local sightings are of lower-flying birds.

The plants known as cresses are best known from two local examples - water cress in creeks, and common bitter-cress in gardens.

The latter is often called flick weed, for its habit of "flicking" its seeds when touched. Both of these are introduced plants.

A native plant known as long-style bitter cress (or forest bitter-cress) has recently been discovered in forest in the Spargo Creek-Korweinguboora area. It is much larger than the weedy common bitter-cress.

It has similar clusters of small white four-petalled flowers at the ends of its branches, and its basal leaves are very much larger, making it a very different-looking plant.

Also, its seed capsules grow at right angles to the stem, unlike the vertical seed capsules of the flick weed.

Although the plants had been nibbled by wallabies or wombats, they were substantial enough to be identifiable.

The long-style bitter-cress has appeared following ground disturbance from track work, indicating its ability to colonise recently-disturbed ground, even in places where it has not been known before.

Numerous flora and fauna surveys have been undertaken in the Wombat Forest over the past few decades, so it is of interest to note that this plant appears to be a new one for the list.

Its botanical name is Rorippa gigantea.

I found this interesting specimen on the road at Castlemaine. Can you please identify it?

I.B., via email.

This is a brush-tailed phascogale, a rare native marsupial found mostly in open forested country and timbered rural properties.

The pointed snout and the prominent black "bottlebrush" tail are diagnostic features.

This animal has become rare and is now difficult to find, although there continue to be reports across a wide area.

Like many native animals, it needs hollows to survive.

Land clearing, and predation by cats and foxes, have been blamed for its demise.

It is a fast-moving, darting animal, running along logs and up trees after prey.

It feeds on larger insects, spiders and centipedes, as well as smaller vertebrates. Most of its activity is at night.